My bat mitzvah was a week from yesterday (April 2nd) and on this very special day, I had a speech that I prepared.

I had been working on the speech for months before the date it was presented, so a lot of thought went into this speech.

I hope you enjoy it!

Here it is…

Shabbat Shalom!

Today is my Bat Mitzvah. Today is the day I am supposed to become a participating member of the Jewish community. Today, I am supposed to count. In a minyan, in a Torah service, in my family decisions (I can only hope). And I am so grateful and lucky to be part of KBI and an egalitarian, Conservative Jewish community. I count.

It has almost always been this way for the Jewish people of Ottawa who go to KBI or who went to KBI in the past. You might have heard that the first ever woman in Canada to have a bat mitzvah was a girl named Miriam Lieff. Miriam studied at Agudath Israel Synagogue in Ottawa, which we know today as KBI… this synagogue.

But, not all women are as lucky as Miriam to be part of a community that cares about women and their rights. They have often been supporting characters in their own stories. Whether the Torah writers were men, the religious law makers were men or the movie producers were men.

This shabbat is Shabbat Hachodesh, which is the first Shabbat in the hebrew month of Nissan which is two weeks before Pesach. When you think of Passover, who is the first character that comes to mind? …Moses. But if you think deeper into the story, Moses would never have survived if it wasn’t for his mother, Jochebed who kept him hidden and sent him off in the basket on the river. Then, as he traveled down the river, his sister, Miriam, watched over him, and made sure he was safe. Then, when he reached the palace, and who did he meet there? The Pharaoh’s daughter, Batya, who saved him and raised him as her own. Do you see my point? Jochebed, Miriam, and Batya are the reasons Moses survived.

This does not even include the Egyptian midwives who refused to follow Pharaoh’s original decree to kill all of the male Israelite babies. They decided to follow their hearts instead of Pharaoh’s command. 

A Midrash teaches that the Israelite men wanted to stop having children after Pharaoh’s decree. Their wives also pushed back saying, “You are worse than Pharaoh!  Pharaoh only wants to get rid of the boys, but you want to bring an end to all children!”  If it weren’t for these women, Moses would never have had the chance to be born at all. None of these women, Jochebed, the midwives, Miriam and Batya never got to be the heroes of the story, Moses did. 

When Rabbi Kenter asked me about my interests while deciding on a theme for my speech, a lot of my influences were from strong pop culture women. People like Lady Gaga, Pink, and the Gilmore Girls characters. I learned about this interesting test in Hollywood called the Bechdel Test. The Bechdel Test is a guideline that measures whether or not a movie or tv show has at least 2 main female characters who speak to each other about something other than a man. The women in question can not be a sister, wife or daughter to the main character. They must be independent characters in order to qualify in the Test. You would be surprised by how few movies and TV shows passed this test. How few females are the center of their own stories in hollywood.

An example of a tv show that passes this test with flying colors is my favorite show, The Gilmore Girls. This show stars many female lead characters who have a higher ranking in the show than the males. There are some male characters thrown in there but they act as background people. All these women are the centers of their stories. No wonder the show is so close to my heart. 

I see myself as a strong, independent woman in training:) a (Rory) for those of you familiar with my show. I come from a long line of strong, independent women, a bunch of (Lorelei’s) for my last reference to the show!

In our discussions, Rabbi Kenter shared a quote with me that he learned from his father; “coincidences are just G-d’s way of staying anonymous”. This quote plays a part in the passover story. Firstly, Moses’s basket coincidentally arrived at the palace. Then, later in the desert, his sheep coincidently leads him to hear G-d at the burning bush. These coincidences were G-d in disguise. 

So, what do you make of this next coincidence? 

My Bubby, Eileen, was born in a time where it was not customary for women to have bat mitzvahs nor to participate fully in the Jewish community. She… couldn’t write her own story. But, when my Bubby was about to turn 60 she decided to start studying for her bat mitzvah. She wanted to write her own story, not to have it written for her. She wanted to count in her shul, and in her jewish community. 

And here is the coincidence… Without even talking, my Bubby and I picked the exact same bat mitzvah date, April 2nd with the exact same portion, Tazria! How cool is it that.. me… with my Bat Mitzvah speech about independent women, in the center of their stories, is tied by date and Torah portion to such an amazing bubby! 

For my Bat Mitzvah project, I decided to help others in what has turned out to be a very timely cause. I have been working with an Immagration aid service in Ottawa helping to resettle refugees through the “From House To Home” project. This project was started by a local, Jewish woman although the refugees she helps are not only Jewish. Until recently, the refugees have been largely from Afghanistan, Ethiopia and Syria though the center has started to plan on settling Jewish Ukrainian refugees shortly. I organized a collection of household items through my school and brought some of my classmates to volunteer at the warehouse a few weekends ago. The organizer of this center, Suzi, is another example of a Jewish woman changing the world around her for the better. 

On Passover, when we tell the story of the Exodus from egypt, we remember how we escaped slavery, persecution, and hardship. While today we are safe in Canada, around the world people continue to struggle. We are commanded to not just tell the story of leaving Egypt but do all that we can to support those people who are still in their own places of hardship and persecution. That’s why so many of us are working to support the people of Ukraine, and why we continue to tell our story of the Exodus every year.

Thank you too……..

I am grateful to now be taking my place, not only as a Jewish adult, but as a Jewish woman and will never take for granted the opportunities that I have. 

Thank you and Shabbat Shalom!

If you understand thinsg from this speech, please write a comment!

Do you know the Gilmore Girls?

Have you ever had a coincedence in your life?

Thank you for reading this post!

In class this week, my class and I did a “Learning Style Quiz” to see what type of learner we are.

My results came back mostly even but I dominate in visual learning. 

Visual learners learn by seeing pictures and these students understand and remember things by sight. They can picture what they are learning in their head and learn best using visual materials like charts, graphs, and pictures. 

It is often difficult to learn just by listening and often get distracted by sounds. 

I am almost completely like that. I learn by looking at pictures and charts. I get distracted by the slightest noises and sounds. I can visualize what someone is talking about in my head. 

But I also have characteristics of a tactile learner and an auditory learner. 

Auditory learners remember things they have heard. It is much easier to read out loud than in their head. It often appears that they aren’t paying attention although they are probably hearing and processing everything being said.

Most of these things are incorrect for me except, I am always listening even if I am not looking. I remember things people have said and less what they are wearing. 

And finally, I am part tactile learner. Tactile learners understand things through physical movement. These learners are “hands on” students who prefer to touch, move, build, or draw what they learn. These students need frequent breaks or to move around. They also often have a fidget or something in their hands. 

I am like this, because I always need a fidget or an elastic. I like to solve a Rubik’s Cube during class, but it might seem I am not paying attention but in fact it is the opposite. I can’t learn when I am staying still. I need to have breaks or to constantly be moving around. 

So now that you know what type of learner I am, why don’t you take a quiz to find out what type of learner you are. 

Thank you for reading this post.

I am looking forward to the winter break because I get to spend time with my family with no homework. But this year my sister needs to get vaccinated so I am not going anywhere. The cold weather is annoying but the snow is pretty. I don’t know what I am going to do during the break but I am very excited for some relaxing time for monopoly!

Dear My Mom,

Thank you for all you do, raising me and helping me become a

smart and strong young lady.

Thank you for always listening to me even if I am speaking pure craziness.

I will love you for everything because of that.

I also appreciate the times when you try to help me even if you

don’t believe me for telling the truth.

Thank you so very much

Audrey

When I am in low spirits I like to talk to my mom because she understands me and is good with understanding my problem and helping me think of sullotions but if I am in a situation were I CAN’T talk to my mom, I like to write songs like I wrote in the past on my blog. I also like to go for a walk or make a craft.

What gives you happiness?

What keeps you in high spirits?

Thank you for reading this blog post

Happiness is such an important part of my life.

Things that make me happy include reading, going on bike rides, making snow angles, hanging out with my sister but the thing that makes me happiest is…….Writing songs!

I know it sounds weird but whatever I can’t express in words I can on paper, and instead of just writing a letter to no one in particular, I write songs.

So far, I have written ten songs about a bunch of different things. I write about not wanting to grow up, dancing, the earth, my sister, a holiday, a special person to me, being brave and much more.

What makes you happiest?

Is it similar to mine or totally different?

Thank you for reading this blog post

Here is a book that will change your life…. no, litterally! The book is called inside out and back again by Thanhha Lai. This book is about a girl in the Vietnam war escaping to Alabama. The girls name is Kim Ha and she has three older brothers. Her dad abandoned her when she was little so she only has her mom to take care of her.

This book changed my life because I did not know how hard these people were living in that time and it scared me to think of all the people who didn’t manage to escape.

Maybe if you read this book you will learn something too

Friends are so important to our life. You trust them with things that mean a lot to you. Friends can suprise you in good and bad ways, and sometimes friends end up being people that you would least expect.

The best quality in a friend is defenitly trust. If a friendship doesn’t have trust then it won’t last long. If I tell my best friend a secret and I find out from someone else that they betrayed me and told someone, I will be really angry and probreably get in a fight.

Trust your friends in order to be trusted by them

What do you think the best quality in a friend is?

At our school, the middle school retreat is a time when grade 6,7 and 8 usual go to a sleep away camp for a few days but because of covid we had to do differnt things instead. On the first day we did an obstacle course. The second day we went white water rafting and on the third day was activities.

My favorite part was the white rafting because I love swimming and water. I loved hanging out with my friends and eating lunch on a rock at the base of a waterfall. But I also disliked the wetsuits we had to wear.

This year i will participate in the yearbook and maybe run for class representative (class president).

Have you every been white water rafting?

Tell me yours stories

Thank you for reading this post!

Here is my first ever memoir. I wrote this memoir about my first experience in the hospital and my first impressioin. This was a life changing expeirience for me and that is why I choose to write about it. The lesson in this memoir is that finding the positive in every moment can influence your insight on this moment. Wether it is a horrible moment that effects your life or something that isn’t that bad but still effects you. Finding the good helps coping with really bad parts in your life.

Hope you enjoy

LOSING MYSELF

Have you ever felt like you have no control over your body? Like every movement takes a lot of concentration and even when you try you end up doing things you can’t control it. The first time it happened to me, was a very normal day but that changed quickly. 

It was my mom’s birthday and we decided to go to the park because it was a beautiful day. I went over to the monkey bars. We had only been at the park for ten minutes when I thought of doing something else but as soon as my feet touched the ground I felt a chill go up my back. I instantly started to panic. Running towards my mom was like running with ten thousand weights attached to my leg. Every movement felt like running a marathon. 

As soon as words came out of my mouth as I started to explain to my mom what happened, she asked me to take a deep breath and slowly repeat what happened. “I was just on the monkey bars and now I feel like I can’t feel my legs anymore. Every movement is like running a ten mile run. And now I am really really scared that my leg is going to fall off,” I said. “Your leg won’t fall off but I think we have to go home. And if it is still bad in the morning we have to go to the hospital,” she responded. 

I hated hearing the word “hospital”. It makes me instantly get anxious and start rethinking where I could have gone wrong but the only thing that came to mind was not having such annoying problems but I couldn’t change that. 

Back at my house, I couldn’t go anywhere, but having your sibling help you with everything wasn’t that bad. On our way home from the park we stopped by a friend’s house and they gave me crutches which I was surprisingly excited about because I have never had crutches before. 

Anyway, by the time the morning came around, the 4 out of ten in my leg became an 8. So as you can guess, off to the hospital I went. It was raining as my dad drove me to the hospital.. of course! 

The hospital was scary. It was really tall so it felt like it was staring down on me as if to say “you have problems so you will be here for the rest of your life”. I couldn’t help but imagine me in my eighties still in the hospital and that sent a spider crawl feeling up my back. 

Although I knew that this wasn’t such a big deal, I kept hearing voices in my head saying things like “maybe she had a stroke,” or “maybe she will lose feeling for the rest of her life,” and none of those made me feel better. 

My dad helped me out of the car then I very slowly limped my way to the emergency entrance. I have never felt more overwhelmed in my whole entire life. The air smelt of barf and medicine. In the distance I could hear babies crying. There were a dozen chairs in the corner. Up ahead was a person behind plexiglass and a short hallway in the back that led to a weird looking room. There were child-ish drawings on the walls but even with all the cool things, it was too empty and it felt kind of strange. 

My dad shoved me towards the lady behind the desk. The lady said, “hello what is the emergency today?” My dad responded with a very short response, “My daughter has lost feeling in her leg. It started yesterday.” Because of COVID she had to ask some safety questions. 

When she was done she sent us to the strange room in the back which weirdly looked like a bathroom. There was a sink and a mirror. But there were tubes in the back of the room that were contracted to a huge bag. There were two ladies in the room. There were both wearing gowns and one was on a computer and the other was holding the bag. She put the bag on my arm and it instantly started to squeeze my arm making me feel like a deflated balloon. The nice lady said that this was a blood test and that it was only to check my blood flow. They sent me and my dad into a hospital room.

The next two hours went by so fast. There were two people who kept making me do these tests for how I can walk, and I failed all of the tests. Then this lady walked in and said she was going to give me an IV. I thought this sounded cool until they shoved a tube into my vein. I threw up because I get nauseous very easily. I went to get an MRI so at least I got to watch Despicable Me. The MRI was 2 hours of laying in the exact same position. Way too long to go without any movement at all. 

It felt like ten hours had passed but my dad said it was only five. I had to take 4 tests, 1 very long MRI, an IV stuck up my arm (which by the way, was still in my arm). This nurse walked in and told me they had to do another test, and I made a very funny joke to make me feel better. Finally they asked if I wanted anything to eat. I got to order a chocolate chip muffin, a bowl of fruit loops and apple juice (which I don’t actually like and makes me wonder why I ordered it). The froot loops tasted amazing since I don’t get to have sugary cereal a lot. The muffin tasted like whole wheat bread with chocolate chips inside of it. Overall, I hate hospital food. At least I got to eat things with sugar in them is what I thought was what my dad was trying to do to help me cope with the fact that I was in a hospital

Throughout the 6 hours I was at the hospital, I threw-up about 12 times. My mom finally came at around hour number 7, so that my dad could rest a bit. 

After 8 hours of pure torture, I finally was sent home. I never felt so happy to see my couch. All I could remember from the rest of the night was flopping on the couch. My family having dinner and then my dad carrying me to bed. 

In the morning, I thought of this whole experience but then it just dawned on me that I have a coping method…. I like to think of the positive in every moment. Whether it is thinking of my sister finally helping me with everything, or making the nurse laugh. The good things help you get through the tough moments. So after all that I went through these past two day it wouldn’t be such a horrible thing if I had to go to the hospital again. As long as I get sugary cereal, I am fine!

I hope you liked this memoir.

Can you relate to this moment? What was your first impression of the hospital? When have you ever thought of the positive in a bad moment?